Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

McKel Hill, MS, RDN, LDN

Founder

This “Alfredo” sauce is the best. You’ll never believe it’s not a traditional Alfredo sauce either. I turned a classic and traditionally high calorie dish into one that will leave you feeling great, light on your feet, and maybe even with room for seconds. I used one of my favorite cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower, for the base alongside cashews and macadamia nuts rich in healthy fats and protein, and nutritional yeast for the creamiest vegan and non-dairy Alfredo sauce.

Growing up I was never much of a cheese lover (I know, gasp!) and especially not once I starting living dairy-free, but one dish that I often missed was Alfredo. The combination of an incredibly decadent and rich sauce covering every tiny curve of spaghetti noodles, topped with bold black pepper grounds, and fresh parsley is too good. I loved, and still do love, that combination. So today I’m sharing with you all how I get by still enjoying the essence of Alfredo, sans dairy and cheese. I first started making this Alfredo when I was making a transition into a more plant-centric lifestyle about 7 years ago. There have been so many changes to this core recipe from when I first started, but the recipe I’m sharing today is the one I’m most proud of and has received the most praise by my friends and family.

It shouldn’t be of surprise that I’m taking this opportunity to sneak in another veggie, and I’m sure many of you have guessed which one is responsible for giving this Alfredo the beautiful classic white color – cauliflower! Beloved cauliflower, I’ve used in it recipes such as pizza crusts, mashed “potatoes”, soup, buffalo bites, and more!

Cauliflower isn’t the only player in this non-dairy Alfredo sauce . What makes it almost identical to the original is cashews and macadamia nuts. Both of these nuts create an incredibly thick, creamy, and buttery flavor to the alfredo that you simply cannot obtain just using cauliflower. Obviously, if you’re watching your fat intake (even those that are healthy fats), then you could use extra cauliflower and reduce the nuts…but that would be a completely different recipe now wouldn’t it? I promise, give this one a shot first and share it with your friends.

Nutritional yeast not only gives this a cheesy flavor to some degree but also boosts this sauce with protein and B vitamins. I actually find myself sprinkling extra nutritional yeast on top after serving, because I really have a thing for nutritional yeast. It’s too good. Also, try adding in additional proteins and veggies like peas, carrots, broccoli, etc. My favorite additions are chickpeas, broccoli, and peas! Note: there is no replacement or substitution for nutritional yeast, it’s a must have in this recipe!

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Recipe Type: sauce, entree

Author: McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 3 cups sauce

A creamy non-dairy version of alfredo made with only whole food ingredients like cashews, macadamia nuts, and cauliflower. VGN GF Paleo

Ingredients

3 cups cauliflower (about 1 small head)

1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 30 minutes

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for at least 30 minutes

1 cup homemade or unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon sea salt, adjust to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, adjust to taste

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking

1/4 cup onions, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

Soak both macadamia nuts and cashews in water for at least 30 minutes or until softened. Discard water.

Steam the cauliflower until tender, by using a steamer basket in a large pot with 2-3 inches of water. An option to steam via microwave.

In a medium hot skillet, add olive oil, garlic and onions and sauté until tender. Do this while the cauliflower is steaming.

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender, start with the almond milk and cauliflower, gradually adding in ALL remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust liquid by adding more almond milk if you prefer a thinner sauce.

PASTA // Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta to package directions, 8-12 minutes roughly for brown rice and quinoa based pastas.

Ladle the sauce on top of pasta, veggies, proteins, or grains to enjoy.

Garnish with fresh parsley, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Store the sauce in an airtight container for leftovers and then reheat. Enjoy!

Notes

NUTRITIONAL YEAST // Don’t skip out on this one! It makes it a cheesy flavor.[br]HIGHER PROTEIN // sprinkle more nutritional yeast on top or add proteins mentioned in blog.

3.5.3208

I love making this recipe on the weekends or for pasta night with B, he loves cheese (no really, he loves cheese), so anytime I can get him to eat veggies instead of cheese I jump on the opportunity. Luckily, he loves this sauce with gluten free pasta, he’ll typically top it with just a bit of fresh Parmesan instead of extra nutritional yeast, but hey it’s a compromise! I hope that you guys will try this out for yourselves, but also share a big pot with your friends, families, or my favorite is to make an Italian themed ladies night with your girls and watch sappy foreign Italian movies ha!

I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I’ve been over the years, promise me you’ll make this with your friends and share a picture of your ladies night using the #nutritionstripped!

xo McKel

p.s.

If you’re a fan of cheezy things, you’re going to LOVE these popular recipes:

By:

McKel Hill, MS, RDN, LDN

Founder

Nutrition is our jam. Nutrition Stripped is a modern take on the science of nutrition and healthy living — making it accessible, inspirational, and simple. We believe living whole and eating well make you feel amazing.

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender, start with the almond milk and cauliflower, gradually adding in ALL remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust liquid by adding more almond milk if you prefer a thinner sauce.

PASTA // Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta to package directions, 8-12 minutes roughly for brown rice and quinoa based pastas.

Ladle the sauce on top of pasta, veggies, proteins, or grains to enjoy.

Garnish with fresh parsley, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Store the sauce in an airtight container for leftovers and then reheat. Enjoy!

Awesome!!!! It did take a significant amount more almond milk for me (my original looked more like a cashew cheese texture) but it got there – and the chunkiness made it all the better! Had leftovers this morning – Alfredo over quinoa with pepper chicken chunks. I’m so happy 🙂 Thanks for doing the hard work for us!

I love using cawliflower for a “cream” sauce. I did one a little while ago on the blog, but couldn’t dare call it Alfredo, it was a cawliflower and shiro miso mash turned pasta sauce. It was great, but not alfredo. This however, looks like the real deal and seems delicious.

Yes, nuts are awesome. I never thought to combine it with my cashew cream to get an Alfredo, but its a thought now for sure. I don’t love nutritional yeast though…do you think it’s essential to get the Alfredo vibe going?

If you have an allergy with cashews then yes, but the recipe is made with cashews for a reason, they’re creamy and give it a unique flavor- almonds will taste different and give it a different texture (i.e. not my recipe haha!)

Susan

I am going to try this with my zucchini pasta, this will taste great with it. What a treat from you, it sounds great.

You can try to freeze it although the texture may get a little odd, I simply make that and use as much as I can in a weeks time, share it, or cut the recipe in half 🙂

Lara cook

Ok great, will try freezing a bit of as a tester! thank you! 🙂

Lori

I’m OBsessed with nutritional yeast and keep both the powder and the flakes in my pantry. I put both on my popcorn. I’m starting this Alfredo recipe tonight for dinner tomorrow. Can’t wait! Thanks and love your site!

I am so glad that you created this recipe because I share your affinity for alfredo (woop alliteration!). The only thing is that I am allergic to both cashews and macadamia nuts; are there any other nuts or substitutes that would create a similar effect??

Thanks is advance! Absolutely obsessed with your site!

Hillary

I am so happy that you’ve created this recipe because I also share your affinity for alfredo (woop alliteration!). However, I’m allergic to cashews, are there any other nuts or substitutes that would create a similar effect??

Hope you enjoy it Hillary! You can use all macadamia nuts or use pine nuts instead of cashews- cashews are just one of those nuts that work so well with these sauces. Let me know what you use and how it turns out!

I made it today. I really could not believe it wasn’t Alfredo sauce. It was delicious! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I made it with coconut milk as opposed to almond, and used almonds as opposed to macademia nuts, it still was delicious.

This was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for the recipe! I am thinking about investing in a Thermo mix… What’s your favourite kitchen mixer? Do you recommend a TM? I juice and make a lot of raw food…
Thank you !
Xoxoxox

I’ve been making a lot of your recipes lately and I love but and I’ve been really excited to make this one and I did everything step by step exactly, but in the end I found it to be kind of bland and on the sweet side. I had to add extra garlic, onions, and yeast to add more flavor and it kind if helped, but I’m not sure I’d make it again or if I did I would not use cashews thinking that’s where the sweetness came from. I loved the creaminess though!

So glad you enjoyed it! Hm, not sure where it would be sweet- did you add a sweetened almond milk or something to it? Always taste along the way- that’s the best indicator of what spices you need to adjust 😉

Amy

My daughter is on an elimination diet of most of the top allergens, but yeast is also on the list of foods to avoid. I saw the note that said that nutritional yeast is dairy free and is not “active” yeast, so in your opinion, would it be ok for her to have this sauce (or any other of your recipes that contain this type of yeast)? Thank you for your insight!

I can’t/don’t recommend specifics for people with cases like this- but in general yes nutritional yeast is not an active form of yeast- none of my recipes contain yeast- no need for it! I suggest asking your practitioner directly about her case 🙂

Natasja

I made this sauce this past weekend, and it is amazing!! My 17 month and 3 year old boys devoured it along with myself. This recipe is a keeper (as are so many of your other recipes that I have tried)! Thank you McKel for doing the hard work for us. I don’t yet have a Vitamix ( on my Christmas list), so I used my Ninja and it worked very well. The texture of the sauce was so creamy and it tasted surprisingly rich. Delish!

I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it! That’s always a great feeling to get the little ones to enjoy vegetables 🙂

Katie Gebhardt

I made this and absolutely loved it!!! One issue though, I had tons of leftovers and put it in a mason jar with a kid in the fridge, and looked 20 minutes later and it was overflowing pouring out of the jar! Help!

Haha, such a good problem to have in my opinion! I use leftovers as a dip, sauce for other pasta dishes, spreads, skies the limit!

Helen

I tried this tonight and it was delicious! I didn’t have macadamia nuts, so I just skipped it, but followed the rest of the recipe. It was awesome. I will be making this again! I served this over fettuccine with broccoli and mushrooms.

So glad you enjoyed it Helen, yes I find that cashews work just as well as macadamia nuts and are more affordable! xx

Autumn

I’ve got my cashews and macadamia nuts soaking at home I cannot wait to make this tonight! I’m going to put it over whole wheat penne and zucchini and I may add mushrooms after seeing another person’s comment. Alfredo is one of my faves and it’s like ALL dairy so this is miraculous!

I just made this tonight…it is AMAZING~! I can’t believe how smooth and creamy it was…
I served it over Penne Pasta and steamed broccoli…and since I’m not a vegan or vegetarian (only a person trying to eliminate dairy), I did sprinkle some freshly cooked bacon bits over the top…It was like a decadent cabonara…but sans the Dariy….

The recipe was WAY too much for 2 people to eat in one sitting… We can probably get 3 more meals out of it…and WE WILL ….

Made this for supper tonight, and mis-read the directions. Instead of beginning to blend the cauliflower and almond milk, I threw everything in the food processor. Unfortunately ours didn’t turn out as smooth as yours, but it still tasted divine! I mixed in some fresh made pesto to add a little kick and it was AMAZE!
Thank you for your constant inspiration xo

Good recipe! I’ve made it at least 10 times and it always works seamlessly. I use it in anything that requires cheese or cheese sauce: lasagna, mac and cheese, refried beans, vodka sauce. I grew up on bechamel and this is a great stand-in! Thanks!

I would so appreciate you helping me and I know it’s Christmas eve, but I was only able to find lightly roasted and unsalted macadamia nuts. Will this impart too much of a strong flavor or will I be good using it alongside the raw cashews and cauliflower? Thanks!

You can use all cashews if you prefer since macadamia nuts are on the more expensive side and have a strong flavor.

Susan

Hi McKel,

I just made this for lunch for my family, and was so surprised that it only took about 20 minutes to throw together! It was so “creamy” and delicious, and so well received by everyone, including my two little kiddos, I will definitely be making it again.

I didn’t have enough cashews or any macadamias, so only used a half a cup of raw cashews and made up the rest with cashew butter – turned out perfectly! I also added about a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika, to give it that smoky cheese flavor.

Thank you once again for another nutritious and delicious vegan recipe!

So glad you enjoyed it Susan! Your comment just popped up by the way- sorry for the massive delay!

Kim

This sounds amazing – I’m definitely going to try it, and see if I can fool my non-vegan husband! I do have a question though: Instead of transferring everything into a high-speed blender, can I use an immersion blender, and gradually add the cauliflower, almond milk, and nuts? Oh, and will it work as well with an Almond-Coconut Milk blend? That’s what I typically keep in the house, and would rather not have to buy a whole container of Almond milk, for just this one recipe!

McKel Hill

Yes, you can use an immersion blender, just be careful with everything being hot! Also, you can use coconut almond milk mix!

Lori

Oh my! I. Love. This. Sauce! I made it first as a topping/seasoning for my roasted veggies and tonight I put it on my zoodles. ANAZEBALLS! My son decided to try it and to have it for dinner tomorrow night. LOL! I tweaked the recipe slightly by roasting the garlic and cauliflower and blended ingredients with veggie broth and almond milk. Love this recipe – it’ll make the monthly ration for sure!

McKel Hill

So glad you enjoyed it Lori! It’s one of my go-to’s for a thick and creamy sauce and goes well with other roasted vegetables too- beyond the pasta! xx M

Sara B

I’ve made this most delicious Alfredo many times, but wondering if I can freeze extra sauce?

McKel Hill

I haven’t tried to freeze it, but it’s worth a try. If you do, I would recommend reblending it before serving!

Summer

This looks amazing and Id love to try it. I usually cook in batches and was curious if you knew how well this would freeze/thaw after cooking?

McKel Hill

I haven’t freezed this one before, I would guess about 3 days and reheat on the stovetop!

Dana

Yum! This is delish! Added some field roast sausage too. Have you ever tried freezing this? Wondering how that might work. Thx for great recipe!

McKel Hill

So glad you enjoyed it Dana! I haven’t tried freezing it ><

Dana

Oops! Forgot to give this 5 stars.

Cathy Hilliard Hoover

I just made this. Yum. I did use all cashews because macadamias are so expense. I used garlic and onion powder also. It is really good. I am eating it over elbow macaroni. I am going to add steamed broccoli next time. Thanks for the recipe.